Making STOCK - where to stop with the ingredient?!


Question: okay, i know basic component of a stock are your bones and aromatics (garlic, celery, onions, peppercorns, etc)

ive also read here and there that a good use of old and scrap foods/leftovers (meats, vegetables, etc) is to throw them in a pot and make stock.

does anyone do this? isnt that food "tainted"? the enzymes would die quickly in hot water but wouldnt they ruin atleast a bit of the "stock" before then? wouldnt the vegetables and meats have lost most of their nutrients and/or flavor at that point, too?

lastly, i eat lots of steaks, and before i grill them i always trim the fat off. are these scraps any valuable in making a stock?


Answers: okay, i know basic component of a stock are your bones and aromatics (garlic, celery, onions, peppercorns, etc)

ive also read here and there that a good use of old and scrap foods/leftovers (meats, vegetables, etc) is to throw them in a pot and make stock.

does anyone do this? isnt that food "tainted"? the enzymes would die quickly in hot water but wouldnt they ruin atleast a bit of the "stock" before then? wouldnt the vegetables and meats have lost most of their nutrients and/or flavor at that point, too?

lastly, i eat lots of steaks, and before i grill them i always trim the fat off. are these scraps any valuable in making a stock?

I save mushroom stems, carrot peelings, onion skins, stuff like that and freeze them in a zip lock bag. When I want to make stock I pull them out and drop them in.

Just for the information, onions, carrots and celery together are called 'mirepoix'.

Personally, I wouldn't use steak fat, especially if it is from meat you have bought in the store as opposed to grass fed beef from a local farmer. It will be to strongly flavored to be a benefit.

Have fun!

I think when they say leftovers they don't mean like food that's been sitting in the fridge already cooked. They mean like when you trim the ends off an onion use those, or fresh bones that you roast and use in the stock. It has to be fresh! I think the fat is just annoying to skim off afterwards so I wouldnt use that... Don't forget to put carrot in your stock. It gives it sweetness!

You have to make stock with fresh scraps not week old fat. Make sure you add carrots too. The stock is for flavor not nutrients. I pretty sure when done making stock it is pretty nutrition less. I'm not sure though.

The fiber is still there.

No! Stock is made from bones, chicken carcass, seafood shells...veggies etc... depending on the type of stock you are making. Added to that is the aromatics as you mentioned. But you are missing the "mirepoix" 50% onion, 25% celery, and 25% carrots . This has to be simmered for 6 to 8 hrs. (for a good stock) and the fat skimmed off the top... My advice to you... go to the "soup" aisle in the grocery store, and buy some stock! lol... best of luck

People love my soups. I put lots of goodies in them so they are just shy of being stews.

When I remove fat from meat - whether cooked or raw, I freeze it for when I'm going to make stock. I don't use the veggies in my stock starter - just the meats. I even take the fat from the ham, freeze it for later use, and then boil the fat to get the flavor. Now with ham - the fat makes a salty broth so I only use it in Split Pea Soup. The steak fat makes a great vegetable beef soup. I save the shells from my shrimp, boil them in water and use that for my clam chowder. I put leftover chicken from KFC or wherever I might have purchased it - in the water and boil it. I will on occasion put pork and chicken together. No matter what broth I make, I refrigerate, skim off the cold fat, and put the broth into tupperware containers and freeze it for later use. When I go to make my soups, I always start with sauteed onions, carrots and celery before I add anything else. If I have leftover veggies in the fridge or cooked meat, they go in last - just to heat them. Same with anything canned like water chestnuts or bamboo shoots. When I toss the chicken in the water (with it's skin and seasonings on from KFC), I shred the meat for soups later and toss the skin and crust. Again, I add that meat at the last minute just to heat it.

When I fix hubby an omelet (more like a big scrambled egg mixture with onions, bell peppers, ham and egg with cheese) and there is leftovers, I have been known to freeze it and use it also in my soups.

When I make my creamed soups, I don't start with milk or cream, I start with the broth I want. Then, when everything is in the soup and it's ready to serve, I put it in the bowls and add just a little cream to each bowl, giving it a stir to incorporate it into the broth. It has that rich mouthfeel of a soup cooked in cream without all the calories of the cream as the main broth.

The steak fat adds an extra depth if it is cooked (broiled or BBQ'd) before it goes into the water. Same with sauteeing the onions, carrots and celery before adding to the soup.

Hope that helps.





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